OverTorque Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 (edited) How is it possible that there's no aw139 kit yet?! It's a best seller in the helicopter industry and it would be a kit of great interest!I'm quite disappointed. And last but not least it's also a beauty Copyrighted image removed Post moved to modern not a rumour of a new kit Edited July 1, 2015 by Greg B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary West Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 How is it possible that there's no aw139 kit yet?! It's a best seller in the helicopter industry and it would be a kit of great interest!I'm quite disappointed. 1. Its FUGLY 2. We need a Puma before this ugly beast 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTorque Posted May 18, 2014 Author Share Posted May 18, 2014 (edited) Hahaha false mate!There are more than 10.000 Puma's kit on the market today! Oh come on, how could you define the Aw139 ugly!? No rumours about a kit of this chopper?!Such a shame ... Edited May 19, 2014 by OverTorque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 It would be a nice one to see, but the phrases "Licensing Fee" and "Intellectual Property" come to mind. Mike. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venomvixen Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 1. Its FUGLY 2. We need a Puma before this ugly beast FUGLY just doesn't come near what that thing is 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pte1643 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I remember speaking to "Old Father Hannant" some time ago regarding a similar subject. My boy has always been a fan of the S-76 and we asked why there wasn't such a kit. His answer, and it probably rings true in the case of the 139 too, was that there's simply not much of a call for Civvy "Off-Shore" helo's with limited colour options. How many people are going to want to make a Bristow's/Bond's/CHC 76 or 139 (for example), compared with those that will want to make an RAF Puma/Wessex etc. His opinion was that the model companies can't see any market for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTorque Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 There are more than 700 aw139s flying today and it's on the market since 2002 (more or less)! Without doubts it's the most successful helicopter ever made! Thinking it wouldn't be a kit of interest it's completely a non sense!!The s76s were sold basically in the USA whereas the 139 it's a best seller in USA Uk and Europe and despite its short commercial life it has already matched the total of Dauphins sold in 40 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I remember speaking to "Old Father Hannant" some time ago regarding a similar subject. My boy has always been a fan of the S-76 and we asked why there wasn't such a kit. His answer, and it probably rings true in the case of the 139 too, was that there's simply not much of a call for Civvy "Off-Shore" helo's with limited colour options. How many people are going to want to make a Bristow's/Bond's/CHC 76 or 139 (for example), compared with those that will want to make an RAF Puma/Wessex etc. His opinion was that the model companies can't see any market for them. Correct for the S-76 but not really for the AW139 considering that the helicopter is in service with a dozen armed forces, and a couple also wear RAF roundels... Unfortunately I can't see much interest in a kit of this type anyway. The market for helicopters does not seem to be that large overall and many other types have been completely forgotten... 1/48 modellers interested in an AW139 can try to improve the die-cast made by NewRay, it's not a bad starting point and looks reasonably accurate. Of course it needs a lot of work to bring to the kind of detail level we're used to with plastic kits, particularly with the rotors. At least it's usually cheap, mine costed around € 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 There are more than 700 aw139s flying today and it's on the market since 2002 (more or less)! Without doubts it's the most successful helicopter ever made! Thinking it wouldn't be a kit of interest it's completely a non sense!!The s76s were sold basically in the USA whereas the 139 it's a best seller in USA Uk and Europe and despite its short commercial life it has already matched the total of Dauphins sold in 40 years! Most successful?! Er, UH-1 series and Mi-8/17 maybe... I agree that there is limited scope for civillian subjects unfortunately compared to military. Doubtless a model company could secure 'sponsorship' to include a civillian company livery - but would it be the one you want? There will probably be a lack of AM decals due to high costs for small runs etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTorque Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 Take a look at the operators' list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AgustaWestland_AW139 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Re the comment further up about a Puma, The AW139 looks a bit like a Puma but more sleek. MAybe if the RAF got some a kit would come along/... EDIT: hah!! Just saw this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AW139_Helicopter_on_Search_and_Rescue_Exercise_MOD_45151098.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTorque Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafvalley/ Re the comment further up about a Puma, The AW139 looks a bit like a Puma but more sleek. MAybe if the RAF got some a kit would come along/... EDIT: hah!! Just saw this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AW139_Helicopter_on_Search_and_Rescue_Exercise_MOD_45151098.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) There are more than 700 aw139s flying today and it's on the market since 2002 (more or less)! Without doubts it's the most successful helicopter ever made! Thinking it wouldn't be a kit of interest it's completely a non sense!!The s76s were sold basically in the USA whereas the 139 it's a best seller in USA Uk and Europe and despite its short commercial life it has already matched the total of Dauphins sold in 40 years! Here I think is the dichotomy - the AW139 is cursed by being seen as a "Civvy" helicopter rather than a "Military" one. Yes, there are military and paramilitary operators, but I believe it was marketed originally for the civilian market as a private venture by A-W. Look at the Sikorsky S-92: plenty of civilian operators but it's tanked in the military market - it's only generated two sales so far (although I think the Canadians are regretting it now!) and it hasn't had a kit released of it either. It just seems that an out and out military helicopter is perceived to be a better bet than a civilian one by the kit manufacturers. Add in any copyright issues with regards to civilian liveries (those will be protected jealously and with extreme vigor by company lawyers!), plus probable licensing fees demanded by Augusta-Westland (it's their in-house design, no government specs in sight) and it might well be too expensive to do. Having written that, I bet that if the AW139 was used by a government agency in Germany Revell would have done a kit by now! Look at the Revell EC135, EC145 and BK117 kits as examples. Personally, I'd love to see a 1/72 kit in HM Coast Guard colours done, but that's just me! Mike. Edited May 19, 2014 by MikeR 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) Here I think is the dichotomy - the AW139 is cursed by being seen as a "Civvy" helicopter rather than a "Military" one. Yes, there are military and paramilitary operators, but I believe it was marketed originally for the civilian market as a private venture by A-W. Look at the Sikorsky S-92: plenty of civilian operators but it's tanked in the military market - it's only generated two sales so far (although I think the Canadians are regretting it now!) and it hasn't had a kit released of it either. It just seems that an out and out military helicopter is perceived to be a better bet than a civilian one by the kit manufacturers. Add in any copyright issues with regards to civilian liveries (those will be protected jealously and with extreme vigor by company lawyers!), plus probable licensing fees demanded by Augusta-Westland (it's their in-house design, no government specs in sight) and it might well be too expensive to do. Having written that, I bet that if the AW139 was used by a government agency in Germany Revell would have done a kit by now! Look at the Revell EC135, EC145 and BK117 kits as examples. Personally, I'd love to see a 1/72 kit in HM Coast Guard colours done, but that's just me! Mike. Not just you, I would quite like one myself. And an Irish Air Corps one too I don't think licensing would be an issue, AW seems to have given licenses to a number of die-cast manufacturers, and there actually more die-cast models of their helicopters around than there are plastic kits... Unfortunately the limited appeal of these means that IMHO it's very unlikely we'll ever see one in plastic. But yes, had it been in service in Germany or Switzerland Revell would have done one ! The only A-109 kit was made by Revell covering the variant used by the Swiss rescue agency.. problem is that they use a very specific variant and very few users ever had this variant. One of my long term plans is to try to clone in resin a 1/72 die-cast that was on the market a while ago and finally build one of the machines used by 8 Flt. AAC in support of SAS operations Edited May 19, 2014 by Giorgio N 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTorque Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) Ec155s are also in service in Germany but there aren't kits yet!It's only a matter of business choice. Edited May 19, 2014 by OverTorque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary West Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) Re the comment further up about a Puma, The AW139 looks a bit like a Puma but more sleek. MAybe if the RAF got some a kit would come along/... EDIT: hah!! Just saw this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AW139_Helicopter_on_Search_and_Rescue_Exercise_MOD_45151098.jpg Yeah wake up Paul..... There are more than 700 aw139s flying today and it's on the market since 2002 (more or less)! Without doubts it's the most successful helicopter ever made! Thinking it wouldn't be a kit of interest it's completely a non sense!!The s76s were sold basically in the USA whereas the 139 it's a best seller in USA Uk and Europe and despite its short commercial life it has already matched the total of Dauphins sold in 40 years! Seriously! Opinion based clearly but I doubt very much that stats will back you up And finally a Puma in 1/48 Edited May 19, 2014 by Gary West Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTorque Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 "And finally a Puma in 1/48..." Always the same story! Always the same model kits... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truro Model Builder Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Most successful helicopter? Hmm... So what about the Sea King, Huey, Bell 47, Puma, Gazelle, Mi-8/17, Mi-24, CH-47, CH-53, UH-60 just to name a few. Actually, why is there no AS.350 Ecureil/Squirrel in 1/72? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pte1643 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Most successful?! Er, UH-1 series and Mi-8/17 maybe... I reckon you could add the 206 to that list too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I reckon you could add the 206 to that list too.Roger, Mi-8/17, UH-1 and then 206.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_produced_rotorcraft 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 No matter, military subjects will always be more appealing. Any model show you go to will demonstrate this as will model forums' RFI's. Although there can be a lot of variation in schemes etc. of civilian operators, military ac seem to capture the imagination more. So, being businessmen, model companies make models of ac that will sell to mass, not niche market. Sorry Over Torque, I feel your pain as there are even some military kits that 'should' be kitted - but they aren't going to sell to the mass market, so only cottage industry is SOMETIMES an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTorque Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) Most successful helicopter? Hmm... So what about the Sea King, Huey, Bell 47, Puma, Gazelle, Mi-8/17, Mi-24, CH-47, CH-53, UH-60 just to name a few. Actually, why is there no AS.350 Ecureil/Squirrel in 1/72? Yes, you're right but you have to consider that the 139 is on the market since 2003 and there are more than 700 39s flying today with 100 already ordered. More than 700 39s built in 10 years. How do you call this?!Only one word: success! Maybe it's not the most successfu chopper but "one of the most" for sure. I hope to see one day a kit of the 139. Btw, there is an as350 b2 kit from Heller in 1:48 Edited May 19, 2014 by OverTorque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary West Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Always the same story! Always the same model kits... Well excluding Heller's feeble 1/50 attempt 40+ years ago, there never has been a Puma of any kind in 1/48 so if anything that disproves your comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTorque Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 (edited) Yeah Gary i get your point but there are a lot of Super Puma's kits in 1:72 and also one in 1:35! It wouldn't be great news a 1:48 !Imho Edited May 20, 2014 by OverTorque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SARowl Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Yes please! A 1/48 AW139 in Coastguard colours! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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